South Carolina Air National Guard begins full F-16 operations at Columbia Metropolitan Airport
May 24, 2022
Today, the South Carolina Air National Guard’s (SCANG) 169th Fighter Wing began full operations from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE). Their F-16 Fighting Falcon jets typically operate out of McEntire Joint National Guard Base (McEntire) but have temporarily moved to CAE while McEntire resurfaces its main F-16 runway.
“The transition of our flying operations from McEntire to CAE went incredibly smooth,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Ferrario, 169th Operations Group commander. “We are thankful to the onsite team at CAE who were instrumental in ensuring this relocation has been seamless while getting our maintenance and operations teams settled into their temporary home.”
The SCANG will continue its normal flight training operations over the next six months, flying on most days. Additionally, flights will take place on one weekend a month during their normal drill weekend. Most flights will take place in the mornings and afternoons, although operations could adjust due to training schedule changes or weather.
With this temporary relocation of aircraft, noise from the fighter jets will be minimized as much as possible. For example, afterburner takeoffs will be reduced and kept to a minimum. Off-station training and patterns will be utilized elsewhere in order to minimize flying time over CAE airspace. Lastly, the SCANG’s anticipated flight patterns taking off from and landing at CAE will be de-conflicted around other air traffic and flown over the least populated areas as possible.
During this temporary relocation, CAE has been proactive in putting elements in place to continually inform its passengers and local community members about the F-16 operation:
- The CAE website (www.flycae.com) now features a page dedicated to frequently asked questions about the SCANG mission. This page, which can be accessed via the alert bar at the top of the homepage, will provide real-time updates over the next six months about news and information about the partnership and operation.
- The construction of an observation deck is currently underway, but in the meantime, aviation enthusiasts are encouraged to view take-offs and landings in the CAE cell phone lot.
“We want our daily passengers, to travel rest assured knowing that no commercial flights out of CAE will be affected during this mission, and all flights will operate as regularly scheduled.” said CAE Executive Director, Mike Gula.
For updated information on this temporary relocation and for frequently asked questions, please visit FlyCAE.com.
About South Carolina Air National Guard/McEntire Joint National Guard Base
The South Carolina Air National Guard comprises nearly 1,500 Airmen who serve their state and nation. The primary unit of the South Carolina Air National Guard is the 169th Fighter Wing. Its mission is to maintain wartime readiness and the ability to mobilize and deploy expeditiously to carry out tactical air missions or combat support activities in the event of a war or military emergency. The South Carolina Air National Guard operates as part of the Total Force of the U.S. military and is fully integrated with the active-duty Air Force. Additionally, members of the South Carolina Air National Guard respond to state and national emergencies as directed by the Governor. The wing flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a single-seat, multi-purpose fighter with the ability to fly up to twice the speed of sound. It is capable of performing air-to-air and air-to-ground tactical missions.
About the Columbia Metropolitan Airport
Now providing nonstop service to 12 major airports in 11 cities including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami (seasonal), New York City (LGA), Philadelphia, Tampa (seasonal), Orlando (seasonal) and Washington, D.C. (Dulles and Reagan National). Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE), a Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accredited facility, continues to be a major economic driver for the Midlands region. Welcoming over 1.3 million passengers in 2019, CAE is served by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Silver Airways (seasonal) and United Airlines. CAE is a regional cargo hub for UPS and is served by FedEx. For more information, please visit www.flycae.com.
